Friday, November 11, 2011

7 Quick Takes [11.11.11]

1. I've decided to start participating in 7 Quick Takes which will take place (inconsistently) on Fridays. It originally was created by the author of Conversion Diary and a few of the other bloggers I read also participate. You might remember me writing a few of these in the past. I've realized, of late, that I have a lot of things to say and a lot of questions to ask but not really enough time to devote a separate blog post to each and every one. I used to think these kinds of posts were like cheating; like a writer who couldn't organize her thoughts. But who am I kidding? With three kids that's exactly who I am! So I'm going to embrace it. And besides, I've found that these are actually some of my favorite posts to read on other blogs. Hopefully you'll find it likewise.

2. Let's talk about swelling and post-pregnancy. Here's the thing: my shoes fit again (yay!) but I still can't remove my wedding band. At the end of August I put my wedding ring away and opted to only wear my wedding band for the remainder of my pregnancy. Even though the two are the same size my wedding band has always been more loose around my finger -- perhaps because it's cheaper? Anyway as my pregnancy neared its end my fingers swelled so bad I could no longer remove my band at the end of the day. I thought this would clear up within the first week following Katherine's birth but here I am nearly three weeks later with the band still stuck on my finger. Should I be worried? Has anyone else had this problem?

3. Our church, which is just a block from our house, has perpetual Eucharistic adoration and this past weekend Brian and I signed up to be weekly dedicated adorers. We signed up for the midnight to 1 a.m. slot on Sunday nights; technically Monday mornings. We figured we're usually up with one of our children at that hour anyway so we might as well make good use out of it. Do you think it's OK to bring a newborn into the adoration chapel even if she's fussy or might need to nurse? I mean I'm sure Jesus wouldn't mind, of course, but I want to respect the other adorers who might be there looking for some quiet time. What do you think?

4. Talking about adoration reminds me of the time when a then three-year-old William asked me if God and prayers were magic. To a three-year-old I'm sure the whole thing does seem like magic. Of course, I know it's not. But it really is all kind of magical, isn't it?

5. Staying on topic of "The Funny Things William Says," the other day we were driving in the car and he told me I was his best, best, best, best, best ever. I think there might have been 18 more bests included in the quote. He didn't exactly explain what kind of "Best" list I had been ranked #1 in so I asked him what #2 was. Noodles. Just so we're clear, I'm number one and noodles are number two. I'm sure God and country follow shortly thereafter.

6. I'm having an email dilemma. As I said a few months ago, I finally got with the times and upgraded to a smart phone. (Which, by the way, ended up being a cheaper plan than my old phone. Who knew?!) So now that I have this smart phone at the tips of my fingers I rarely check my email account on the computer. Instead I read my emails on my phone and respond immediately, if need be, or delete it. In fact, I don't think I've opened Outlook since before Katherine was born. I'm pretty certain my computer would blow up if I make it download the 1,000+ emails. (No, I don't have that many friends. Just a lot of subscriptions to Groupon and CrowdCut and LivingSocial and Totsy and Zulily.) So here's my question: Do you think email is becoming obsolete? Are you more likely to bypass email to use text messaging or Facebook to get in touch with friends and family? Besides calling immediate family members, I know those are the only methods we used to announce Katherine's birth. Maybe I should just do away with the stress it takes to maintain my email folders. But then again, there's always going to be that one person who insists on using VHS when everyone else has DVDs.

7. It's finally on the chilly side here which means the radiators are fired up, the feather bed is on and the cinnamon candles are burning. It's cozy times like these when I'm so glad I live in Minnesota and get to fully experience each individual season. I know I'll be singing a different tune come February but for now I'm going to hunker down and soak it in.